Edge #5

Description

What does it take for a common thief to become the hero of a nation? A cynical person might say, "That's just the way of the world," but the Edge faithful know better. It's Way of the Rat, the new kung-fu saga from Chuck Dixon and Jeff Johnson, joining the cast of Comics' Greatest Compendia in August. This first chapter has it all: a drunken monkey, a magical artifact, and martial arts mayhem the whole family will love! But cynics can take satisfaction from the 23rd chapter of Sigil, because there's absolutely nothing heartwarming about hurling an asteroid the size of Australia toward the Planetary Union Homeworld. What else should you expect from the Saurian Empire? But it's not just the lizard people keeping life nasty, brutish, and short. Even the magical world of Ciress has its dark side, as we learn in this month's double installment of Mystic (chapters 21 & 22). Tony Bedard sends new artist Fabrizio Fiorentino on a tour of Ciress' seedy underbelly, placing Giselle in a web of corruption somewhere between Chinatown and Training Day. Fortunately, there's a double-shot of Scion (chapters 23 & 24) to restore your faith in humanity. Ethan and Ashleigh have set off on a bold plan to create a sanctuary for the Lesser Races, but they have to navigate a world war to do it. In chapters 7 and 8 of Ruse, the search for Lightbourne is on! Simon and Emma head off in search of answers, but encounter a band of gypsies fighting for their lives against unseen forces. What's Simon's involvement in all this, and what could be the connection with Lightbourne? As usual, the only certainty is that nothing is as it seems. And, as usual, the same can be said of The First, where intrigues great and small are always in fashion. In chapters 17 and 18, it's a battle royale to rescue Pyrem from the renegade forces of House Sinister. And who sets him free? The leader of House Sinister. Confused? Don't be, for even the lives of the gods can have a nasty and brutish quality. That's just the way of the world.